The Arizona Coyotes moved on from a franchise veteran on Sunday, trading Martin Hanzal to the Minnesota Wild for a bevy of draft picks.
The move was inevitable, as the Coyotes are out of playoff contention and Hanzal is an unrestricted free agent after the season with a rising trade value. But Coyotes captain Shane Doan didn’t seem too happy about the trade when asked about it by Todd Walsh of Fox Sports Arizona during intermission on Sunday night.
Full transcript:
“It’s really hard, obviously, he’s a huge part of our team and someone you get to play with for 10 years. You appreciate and understand how valuable ... you can’t really replace him, and ... the fact that we just continue to seem to go—I don’t know, it’s hard to understand how exactly—I mean, you understand people’s hands are tied. Just don’t get it.”
Doan was clearly biting his tongue during the interview and didn’t seem ready or capable of articulating just what he was feeling. He and Hanzal were teammates for a decade, both experiencing the few highs of the franchise (a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2012) and the many lows. During an emotional time, it’s probably fruitless to try and speculate what’s really eating at Doan tonight. Instead, it’s easier to sympathize.
Martin Hanzal said it was particularly hard to say goodbye to Shane Doan. "He was like a 2nd father to me. He's been helping me since Day 1"
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) February 27, 2017
Trade winds have swirled around Doan this season as well, but there doesn’t seem to be as much interest in the 40-year-old winger. Doan has a full no-movement clause in his contract and would have to approve any trade. He is also an unrestricted free agent this summer. It would be difficult to imagine Doan in any other uniform after 20 years in Arizona.